St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
A NEW CRAZE IN ART.
Wood Carving Supplanting Repousse Work
in Minneapolis High
Circles.
Carving in Relief the Proper Thing in
Which to Display Esthetic
Taste.
Value of Light and Shade, and the
Proper Conception of Both
Form and Color.
Designs Conforming to Nature, Yet
Reverting simply to the Orig
tnaI Types.

Z. !. !: : Z: !"
y W EEHM pound out patterns OF
IaEES~LM more or less intricacy and
NREe Iva doubtful beauty. This
N4T "a unvarnished description
iEAxSA IN may rob hammered
NM I'll brass" work of much of
JA u the charm which it is sup
SAL posed to possess. but the
Ia. 30 a. UraZe is so much more reason
able than any of its predecessors that its adj
herentS are apt to undervalue the worth of
other decorative arts. 1t is so seldom that
really useful art is taken up by the fash
1onable world, that the kindly reception
which wood-carving has received at the
hands of the highest circles of Minneapolis
is complimentary to the monde and mat
ter of congratulation to the city. This is de-
servedly celebrated for the hearty reception
with which it greets all deserving candidates
for its favor. and it is not strange that the
Minneapolis school of wood-carving, under
the skillful direction of Prof. Ardley, should
be success from its very inception. Apro-
pos of this latest arrival in the art realm of
our city, few general notes on the handi-
craft may be OF interest.
Carving in wood is a very old art, and
like many Others of the ornamental and
useful works of We olden time. its revival is
doubtless due to the renaissance of house
hold adornment, the complete success of
which is the direct result Of the labors of
the ridiculed aesthetic school.
Old English carving differs very materially
from the modern art-its beauties are no
less. perhaps, but they are of so different a
type that comparison is difficult to eStab-
lish. The old school flourished at time
when the Gothic was the dominant style of
architecture. Wood-carying was uni
versal method of house firish-
ing; Dashboard, plinth, plaster,
and Intel, mantel and bookcase.
table and chair, all displayed the carvers
art, but all bore general resemblance in
design. The old English designs were
based on Datural forms, it is true; but they
were conventionaliZed to such a degree as
to be almost unacceptable. Their design
erS reveled in a continuous flow of curves,
all based more or less remotely OIL some
primal form, but made so complex, and
with so many artificial outgrowths, as al
most to lose the identity of the primal fig
ure.
''Conventionalize" is term rather am
biguous to most people. Prof Ardley de-
lines it well as ''subordinating the minute
details of a natural object to a general plan
that is sufficiently suggestive to convey the
intended image to the mind, giving the
most simple expression, rather than all eX-
act imitation, without destroying the unity
OF the object it is employed to designate"
In the modern school of carving, conven-
tional types are much less employed than
formerly. A more thorough appreciation
of the principles of art has lead designers to
cOnfne themselves more and more closely
to natural forms, until now. where the con-
VentiOnalized forms are used at all, they are
so simple as easily to be reverted to the
original types. The best samples of the
Tnpl- of fha Il
Imitation of nature-panels of wild roses
and Easter lilies in high relief are most
beautiful when the arrangement is most
natural; true, when frieze is required for
a bookcase, or wherever it is necessary to
have running design, the conventional
lied form is indispensable, but even here
the simplicity of the design is in marked
contrast to the ramified foliationS of the
old specimens of carving.
The successful career has need of all the
faculties of mind necessary in the painters
art, ana. in addition, he must possess a high
degree OF manual skill; the qualities of Sc
lection, adaptation and Imagination are alb
;olutely necessary to the production of the
best work. An artist is as much the result
of discriminate observation as of hard prac-
tice. The wood carver works from nature
to ornament, and not from ornament to ma
ture; hence he who most closely studies the
peculiarities of the plant he would use for
pattern is surest of a pleasing effect. The
finished work may present to the eye be-
wildering wealth Of curve and SCROLL but in
the most intricate design of the true artist
the securing natural form. which is the ba-
Sis of his work, is everywhere apparent.
Wood carving in relief, where the design
is not intricate, requires few tools, is read
lily learned. and embraces but three distinct
processes: Setting in, :" grounding OUT
and modelling" The two first, which sep
arate the design from the surrounding parts,
and remove the surplus material, are more
mechanical than the modelling, while less
artistic. for in the latter process the knowl-
edge of the workman is brought into full
play--his sense of balance his appreciation
of the delicaces of form. his power of Sc
lection and adaptation, as well as his artis-
tic Feeling.
The carver in relief is most successful
who succeeds III bringing out most delicately
the design he has planned. The appearance
of boldnesS in carving is produced by keep
ing all the unimportant parts very light and
clean to the background. and then raising
the curled portion Of the leaves I'D very
sharply. The stems. points of leaves and
buds stand up with nearly vertical Sides so
that the relief seems greatly exaggerated
1t is here that the workers knowledge of
light and shade comes into play-and a
thorough appreciation of their effects are of
fully as much value to the carver as to the
artist in crayon and charcoal--not only
must the sembiance Of light and shadow be
produced-the work must be so manipulated
that these snail become real Effects and i'm
exact relative proportion. else there is sad
defect in the result.
EThis much for the art itself, and now the
speculative mind wonders what the result
of this latest fash enable fOibe will be- He
sees the home of the lady carver after a
years toll. and the contemplation is one
fearful and wonderful. My lady has had
the beautifully polished casing of her par
Tor doors removed. and has
replaced them with boards of
twice the usual width, which are
marvellous specimens of her handiwork.
One one side the leonine sunflower rears
aloft its gorgeous head; on the other pias-
ter plumed clusters of golden rod, queen of
the yellow flowers and dear to the hearts of
all women, displays its charms. while above
the aster. which is never so lonely as when
separated from it fall friends, completes the
autumn symphony. Along the base boards.
in low relief, cat-taiS are seen, and lace
winged dragon flies disport themselves
there Upholstered chairs, which are the
most sensible fashion that parlors have ever
contained. have been taboOd by this disciple
of the ch.Se, and in their place are found
seals whose board backs are lily covered or
rose clad. and whose arms are wrought with
trailing vines. The charming bannerets
which cost hours Of labor, and to which the
I4finishipg touches We're added by the
painting teacher. have been put away and
in their stead, encased in plush frames. are